The Contentious Crow
by TheBlackBane
Summary: After Starrick's death, London is free once again from the vicious reign it was in. Riley for one (see him as yourself), is nobody of importance untill one day he stumbles upon fate and meets Jacob Frye; the leader of the Rooks. Although as their relation becomes stronger and more intimate, there a few things they don't know about eachother. MxM Gay.
1. Chapter 1

_**Contentious Crow: Chapter 1**_

 _ **A Crow's Meeting**_

It hadn't been long since the sun rose again from its nightly rest, letting its bright rays invade the decrepit buildings, where most of were abandoned and provided many homeless refugee during the dangerous time of night. A few cracks were heard as Riley shifted on the venerable wood, his emerald eyes twitching, reluctant to open at the nearing noises coming from outside the building. Despite the lassitude from the previous night, leaving the man with the feeling of being drained, he forced himself to arise and stretch his limbs to see what the commotion was about outside. Scooting closer to the open window at the bottom floor of the house, the man's eyes narrowed at a few men fighting one another; a few men dressed in red, and a few in green. It seemed they were rather equal, and it was hard to determine the possible winner of this match. Seeing you were no threat, you crossed your arms and rested upon the sill as your knees pressed lightly against the bricks that struggled arduously to remain solid.

Only minutes later, the commotion had ended and both parties were severely injured, leaving them to crawl over the pavement and the few bits of grass wurming its way through the cracks. Not to forgot the mention that some were bleeding due to the tools they had used: knives and machetes. It was not uncommon, infact, this occured about daily, and even more when the thugs controlled all of London, only after recent events, leading to Starrick's death, the red-dressed thugs were forced to disbandon and remnants were scattered around, moving from Whitechapel to Lamberth. Riley's lips curved into a smile, emerald eyes glinting as the last one of the greenly clad men gathered an ounce of energy and slithered the throats of the opposing side. After that, the winner scurried away through the alley, leaving the corpses behind. Riley's back arched from the sedentary position, coming to a rise once again to loosen limbs and slip over the window sill to reach the outside world. The blonde man hunched down to gather the purses of the men, stuffing it away inside his long black coat as he perused the area for possible threats, concluding there were none, he looked back at the house he came from. _''Ta-ta'',_ he added before stuffing his hands into his pockets and moving on.

The streets were swarming with civillians and greenly-dressed men, a gang known as ''The Rooks''. They seemed less venal than the other gang that was hardly a gang anymore, but rumor spoke that the Rooks were a horde of vigilantes, undoing wrong and doing right, as much as they could. Riley for one wasn't craving to get in their way, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to observe them; for one, the man was somewhat curious to who led them. Afterall, a gang usually is founded by one, or more than one member, and seeing what they had achieved thus far was a rather remarkable feat. A low sigh fell from the blonde, continuing as he thought it was time to get some nutrients, scurrying off to a nearby market and buying an apple and a bottle of ale, it would suffice for now, and honestly, this was a preference, something healthy, and something intoxicating enough that would mitigate the mess of thoughts in the man's head. Heading off in a complete different direction in Whitechapel's market, he found himself seated atop of wooden pole near the water, consuming his liquor and devouring the apple to leave it rot in its hollow shell. The breeze was awfully soothing, and contradicted the chaos that overtook the city before, allowing yourself to become less wary. Although as soon as Riley hoped he could close his eyes for a moment, an obstreperous noise hit him- causing him to flicker his emerald eyes open to look around in sudden caution, struggling to keep his balance on the pole. _''Hey, you!'',_ a voice rang behind him, a hulk of a man, broad shouldered, bald and wearing neutral colors, although even the worst of eyes could determine the clothing looked ragged and poor.

Riley's form shifted, turning around on the pole and narrowing his eyes; compared to the hulk of a man, the blonde evidently wasn't as muscular, although he was not thin, not at all, he actually was muscular, but his body was also made for agillity, excelling in speed. _''Can't a man eat without getting disturbed?'',_ Riley's tone was annoyed, yet there was a calmth about him that implied he was hardly unsettled, or intimidated by the giant. _''You can eat my fist, you mut, give me your coin and you'll maybe live through this beating''._ Riley's eyes rolled as he slipped from the pole, feet subtly landing on the ground, tilting his head to each side to loosen his muscles. _''Well then, I hope you know a good undertaker''._ The bald man furrowed his bushy brows, fists clenching and bashing them against eachother in a provocative way: _''Why's that, kid?''._ The blonde's shoulderlong hair, bound back in a tail, flowed with the wind as he lowered his gaze, lips pursing as the sides curved into a smile. _''Because I'm not arranging your funeral, 'kid'''._ Emerald eyes glinted playfully before a hand slipped into a sidepocket, retrieving a small throwing knife he only exposed after it digged its way into the skull of the giant; the tall man dropped to the ground with a loud thud, murmuring a few words before life passed. _''Bah, bah, always the same thing in this city''._ He did not care to search the body this time, for he was sure he was sure he would not find anything. He inhaled deeply through his nose, squatting down as he pressed his lips together momentarily. _''No fun''._

'' _I could say that looked like fun, friend'',_ a voice rang, it was playful, yet seductive and it certainly held its appeal- overall, it was one that sounded overly confident, but not too haughty. The voice came closer as you looked over your shoulder, visualizing a man with a black top hat, bound around it was a red strap, the rest of his appearance looked just as striking; bright hazel brown eyes that carry you into the depths of the sea, and lips that looked as soft as they were unpredictable. Two scars, one over his right eyebrow and another over the left jawline, where as a black stubble grew- relevant to the ebony strands that were brushed back with one escaping its way over the man's forehead. Riley's eyes narrowed before looking down and smiling to himself, brushing a hand over his cleanly shaven jaw as he eventually looked back again, seeing the man in the long black coat shift forth and back on his heels. _''I doubt he agrees- although, I suppose it's too late to ask him now''._ The other man smirked in obvious amusement of the situation, humor, no matter how light or how morbid, he always found a way to laugh. _''Sadly so. My name is Jacob Frye, and you are?'',_ Jacob hunched slightly, extending one hand for Riley to take, which he did, after a moment's doubt. He came to his feet with the other man's aid, now known as Jacob, he flashed a toothy smile: _''Riley''._ The ebony man's lips curved into an innocent grin as he nodded and patted the man's back with a hand, though their hands were held longer than a normally desired- Jacob's hazel eyes- dotted with green- now descended to their hands before withdrawing his gloved hand and taking the knife from the dead man's head, extending it back to its original owner. _''I believe this is yours, Riley''._ The blonde nodded, thoughts in his head prodding him; he knew this name, he very damn well did, but from where? -'' _Yes, thank you, ''._

Jacob's eyes glazed over Riley's form, eventually piercing the emerald ones of the blonde again as he folded his arms and shook his head. _'No need for the formality, I am not as polite as my sister- perhaps fortunately so. Now- you seem skilled, and I had hoped you could join me''._ Clearing his throat and stuffing the knife away inside his own coat, he secured it and looked back with an arched eyebrow, shifting his weight onto his left foot- somewhat increduously looking as to what the possible offer could be. _''I'm really -not- interested in becoming a carpenter''._ Jacob stiffled a laugh as he tipped his hat with a hand, afterwards rolling his eyes. _''That's a first- and although I would -love- to sweep you under a certain rug, that is not what I speak of- my offer extends further than that, namely that I would wish for you to join my gang. We have little knife throwers, and they are hardly as skilled as you seem to be''._ His heart skipped a beat at the words he progressed from the man, firstly, his cheeks turned a light red from the ambiguous use of words, and additionally to that, he was considering which gang? There was only one-it couldn't be another one, no, this were-.. _''The Rooks!''_ Jacob cut in, as he saw Riley think, flashing his teeth bare as he chuckled. _''So- what may your answer be?''._ Not that he wanted to decline, but he hardly thought he was skilled, he seemed to cling to the fact it was a lucky shot. _''Jacob, t' was a lucky throw, that's all''._ The name of the man rolled off his lips, though it was soft and teasing, and even Riley himself found it surprising of how smooth it sounded- and he just wanted to keep saying the name, all over again, perpetually, craving to just- _''I know lucky when I see it, and that was not lucky. Although this meeting was rather a lucky one- regardless so, well, is it a yes?''._ Riley's eyes lowered a moment after consideration, eventually he nodded. _''Consider it one''._

* * *

 ** _Because I can, and I really don't find any other guys in the game attractive. Beards like vikings, mutton chops and bald men- no offense._**

 ** _Also, ''Rook'' means ''Crow''. A black, European crow, and I think with Roth's gift to Jacob ''Jacob, isn't he beautiful?'', I assume Roth was speaking of Jacob, not the Crow, or maybe both. :P Anyway, the crow refers to Jacob, ofcourse._**

 ** _And damn, stealthy hot assassins. ;3_**

 ** _Also, my Jacob here has NO chest hair. Don't like, don't read. :)_**


	2. Chapter 2

_**The Contentious Crow: Chapter 2**_

 _ **The Rooks**_

Another day, another chance to discover more about the Rooks, that is certainly what Riley had vowed himself to do. He was inclined to unravel all that was able to be unraveled, for curiousity was being a thorn in his side, prodding him perpetually. There would be no end to the thoughts he had, dwelling in his mind like a whirlwind that never came to settle. Although, for now he had to play the dumb card, he had no other choice. Striving more for the secrets that were prominently hidden away within the gang could lead to an ordeal, or perhaps something even more dire. He had to settle for now with initiation and getting along with members of the gang, hopefully it wouldn't pose problematic as Riley wasn't longing to know them personally. Stretching his limbs, he arose from his thoughts and him them away, leaving them to think of later. He recalled he was to meet Jacob today, not far away from the place they met at yesterday, although the place seemed more than abandoned, if not for the few greenly clad men and women that roamed before the building's entrance, signing it was heavily guarded to an extent. Riley was dressed in a plain black coat, beneath was a dark red shirt with a window pattern and around his neck was tugged a black scarf. Furthermore, his pants were a dark brown, along with his boots that seemed more expensive than the rest, having padding along the heel and surface.

The pair of emerald eyes perused the area as he folded his arms across his chest and briefly adjusted the scarf that lacked to protect his neck from the cold of the early morning. He wasn't sure what to expect from the meeting, perhaps he was required to show some kind of skills to the leaders, see if he was eligable to do more than just knife throwing, and even if it was a test to see if he truly had been lucky just the other day. After a moment of contemplation, he approached the building; the house just looked as decayed as most in the outer rim of Whitechapel, but it seemed more solid and maintained. The few men and women looked at him suspiciously, eyes narrowed and one woman yelling out as Riley approached the door and knocked a few times, being rewarded with utter silence before a hand grabbed him at the back of his coat, it being a tight grip which made him gasp momentarily as he had to compose from the shock; his green eyes wide as they darted to the source that grabbed him, settling upon a tall, muscular man that exceeded the standard limit of muscles. He hated how muscular some men were, just like the man that attacked him the other day, even if it were unfortunate, he wished he didn't need to generalize big beefy guys into the category of brainless roaches. The tall man scowled at him with an expression that could crack thousand of skills, tightening the grip as Riley was struggling to keep standing on his feet as gravity was playing tricks on him. He couldn't object, as he had to keep himself on low profile, for he was nobody, he was of no importance, and he was never properly trained, or so he claims. _''Who are you, and why are you here?''_ , a stern voice demanded, deep and raspy, glaring daggers at the blonde as he pushed the man against the wall, leaving his intimidating muscles to do the rest; shoving fear into the head of Riley.

But it didn't exactly work to its fullest of extents: Riley himself neatened his attire and steadied his breathing, letting his expression shift into a defiant one, lips curving into a grin that annoyed even the most heartless of men. The hulk couldn't stand the silence he was offered, he demanded an answer, and he would be damned if he had to beat it out of the kid, raising his right fist in a warning. _''Last chance, mongrel''._ Riley still wouldn't relent, keeping his smug composure, which now triggered the other: the man's heavy form started to move as he came with fullest of anger to rebuild the blonde's face, lunging his fist forth to collide with perfectly handsome features, threatened to break apart by the impact. However, not everything always goes as planned, especially this time, Riley had no desire to be hit, even less so if it was face front. He ducked away as the fist neared, having the limb hit the wall that cracked briefly as the bricks struggled together. _''What's with everyone being so aggressive! Have you lacked woo's, mate?'',_ Riley called out as he now was behind the giant, smirking, although it didn't last long. The elbow of the tall man slammed back, right into Riley's chest as the air was forced out of him, falling hard onto his back which connected to the pavement as he groaned in mild pain from the hit and the fall; his eyes closed briefly as black spots tried to consume his visual, trying to force them away. _''That's it! You're done for!''._

Clearing his throat as he rubbed a hand over his chest, the man launched at him and settled a hand on the blonde's throat, craving to cut off his air supply. Riley's already struggling breathing took a more horrible turn at this point, he couldn't hold back now, no matter which card he played: he had to survive this one way or another, and it didn't look like anyone was going to help him. His right hand reached out for the hulk's face, but it was in vain, his energy was depleting from the strangling and he felt life being drained from him. He had to give in, as there was nothing he could do. Although his saving grace had other plans for him. Jacob came walking about as he saw the commotion, rolling his eyes at the sight as he tapped the man's back with a digit. _''Could you please not strangle my new recruits, Tary?''._ The hand upon Riley's neck retracted, leaving him to cough and wince out in pain as the tall man grunted with distaste and walked off with a glare that was ready to kill. Jacob, on the other hand, sported his signature smile, extending his right hand to Riley.

The second day, and already trouble started, it couldn't possibly get any worse from here on. Riley's eyes darted from the tall man that departed to Jacob's hazel-green dotted eyes that now came closer as he saw the blonde struggle from the former asphyxiation. _''Sorry about that. I hope to god he considers his payment the next time before turning down on the violent road. Lord knows I could use more brains''._ Riley's eyes descended as he took the hand and let himself get pulled up, being wobbly on his feet, causing him to stumble forth accidentally, which led to tripping into Jacob, who was more than gentle enough to settle his arms on each side of Riley's shoulder, steadying the man. _''Easy now, we haven't come to proper terms yet''._ Riley's entire form was shaking, biting his lowerlip as he saw Jacob's chest, letting his emerald eyes trail the little exposed skin of the man's chest below the red scarf, eventually noting down he was spending abit too much time on a man- and on his leader. He was confounded, for he did not understand why his eyes craved to look at Jacob whenever he was near- and if he wasn't, he was thinking of him. But was that truly for pragmatic purposes or beyond? He shook his head and coughed one last time, withdrawing as he cleared his throat and looked around. He didn't want anyone to see him so fragile and vulnerable, for now, he had to.

'' _I'm alright, but atleast you can make headless chickens holler down and away''._ Riley compelled a smile towards Jacob, who took it as genuine and nodded, gesturing a hand towards the building, although instead of using the front door, he scurried along the side of the house. The blonde followed suit and trailed behind Jacob, looking around to memorize the location as they eventually went down a cellar instead, although initially appearing as one, it was far more than that. It was expanded and had several rooms for the members of the gang. Jacob walked to the end of the corridor and gestured to the room on the left, nodding. _''This will be yours. Please do refrain from making a mess, my sister would hate it''._ Riley nodded before Jacob leaned in, whispering. _''Although, I never said I did'',_ he flashed a bright smile towards Riley, whom raised an eyebrow before shaking his head. _''You really are an odd man, Jacob. Did you blackmail everyone to follow?''._ Jacob raised an eyebrow, increduously so, but his expression contorted into a sad one, moving closer to Riley as the blonde started to back up against the wall untill he was cornered, confused, and utterly annoyed he couldn't move, but those hazel eyes, they mesmerized and mitigated all the annoyance he felt at that moment. His heart beated into a galloppe, trying to contain himself- but from what? He was straight, wasn't he? _''Jacob, I should really meet your sister if I am to be a part of this gang''._ The hatted man now nodded his head and withdrew from the man, only now having noticed how close he actually was to his newest of recruits. _''Ofcourse, she is down the hall, second room on the right. I'll get back to carpenting, I do love it so''._ The man flashed his teeth, chuckling as he waved an idle hand. _''Do get comfy''._ Riley grunted. _What an idiot._


End file.
